Cleveland Browns Turn to 30-Year-Old Pro Bowler as Week One Starter
Not even a full 48 hours after he had a huge meltdown towards his own fans, Deshaun Watson was named the 2026 Week One starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns on Monday. This entire quarterback battle has been a media nightmare for Browns fans, and it has concluded with a result that will have the majority of supporters outraged. Especially considering Shedeur Sanders, who will assume the role of backup quarterback, was turning heads all summer long. This summer was one of hope for Cleveland, considering their smashing success in the 2026 NFL Draft and the emergence of young talent, but it ended today with a thud.
Through 19 games with the Browns, Watson holds a record of 9-10 with an average quarterback rating of just north of 40. The 30-year-old has yet to average over 200 passing yards in a game with Cleveland, and has barely been on the field in general. When Cleveland has succeeded since swapping Baker Mayfield with Watson, it was almost always without him. The Browns made just their third playoff appearance this century in 2023, and it was off the back of Joe Flacco, not the man with the largest contract in team history. There’s just no way to sugarcoat it. The former Clemson Tiger dominated the ACC and the AFC South for a short time with the Houston Texans. However, following his massive lawsuits, allegations of sexual misconduct, and his lengthy injury track record, Watson is a shell of himself. Whoever the quarterback was that dazzled from 2018 to 2019 and was arguably the best statistical signal-caller in the league during 2020 is no longer with us, and now Browns fans have to suffer because of it.
The Browns will open their season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, before heading southwest to Tampa Bay to take on Mayfield and the Buccaneers. Cleveland’s home opener is in Week Three against the Carolina Panthers, and if Watson performs as he did in 2024 against two solid teams in the Jags and Bucs, Todd Monken may bring out Sanders for the team’s first home game. After all, the last time the Browns fans saw Watson, they let him have it, and he returned that same energy in the press conference. Does Monken really want to risk losing the season entirely, along with the fan base and the team chemistry, before the fourth week of the season? We’ll have to wait and see, but for now, Cleveland fans will have to prepare for another dose of Watson.
